Prohibited Food Items and US Customs

Before we call out the Panic Police regarding this issue, I'd like to pass on some information. Every year before we leave for our winter vacation, I check the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol website for prohibited food items, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture website regarding which pet food ingredients are prohibited.

When a friend told me that they couldn't bring dog food with beef across during the Mad Cow outbreak, I was astonished, but it was true at the time. Today, beef is allowed, but not lamb, sheep or goat.

Fruit for your personal use is permitted, as long as it has been grown in the U.S. or Canada. That means leaving those pesky little labels on the fruit. Below, I have included a link to the cba.gov website. From here, you can search other questions. I found it to be very interesting and I hope that this helps Canadian snowbirds.

Response: Ed: The U.S. government has a wealth of information for travellers and this site includes excellent information with referrals to other issues of interest. The information is also available on the CSA website at www.snowbirds.org; it is reviewed and updated each fall.